loveyourheart

Lifestyle Change to Love Your Heart

Today we wear red to support and raise awareness surrounding heart health for women . Heart disease remains to be the leading cause of death in the U.S. according to the CDC FastStats (followed by cancer #2 and accidents #3). And for women it is the number one killer.  Sadly, 1 in 3 women’s lives are taken away by heart disease and stroke. I bet someone you know who is affected by this disease.

Actually, earlier this week, one of the women I volunteer with confided in me about her mom suffering from a heart attack. It was unexpected and devastating for her mom and the rest of the family. They have always seen her mom as someone who is upbeat and full of energy. Now she is just the opposite. And she is quite young, in her 50s. Today, it’s becoming more common in younger generations to experience a heart condition.

However there is light and hope, because about 80% of cardiac events can be prevented.

About 80 percent of deaths from premature heart disease and stroke could be prevented by changes in physical activity, diet, smoking and management of common medical conditions.” – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

To learn more about the ‘whats’ and ‘hows’ of healthy living, check out the resources available from Go Red for Women. They have simplified the approach of “Eat smart. Add color. Move more. Be well.” You may be familiar with some or all of these information already and its impact on your wellness: making healthy food choices, getting enough movement throughout the day, quality sleep, managing your stress, and having meaningful social connections. But the challenge with most people who already know about healthy living is taking action.

I love Jim Kwik’s adage about knowledge: Knowledge is not power—it has the potential to be power, but only becomes power when you apply and use it.

Check out his podcast episode about How to Turn Your Knowledge into Action where he used 3 quick questions. Questioning is a powerful tool as it brings you into focus and you discover insights and connections to what matters to you most. As a Wellness Coach, this is a skill I use frequently with my clients – the power of questions!

Here are additional questions you can ask yourself:

What is your greatest hope related to your health?

Which fitness activities can you see yourself doing?

What changes would you like to make in your eating?

When you answer these questions, it leads you to consider in trying out your ideas. Whether it’s adding more fruits and veggies to your meals or taking a 10min walking break from working at your desk. There are countless possibilities! However, any change, big or small, as long as it’s in the direction towards better wellness counts.

What action are you ready to take today to lower your risk for heart disease? Are you wearing red today?

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6 Comments

  1. So scary about your friend’s mom! I love the idea of adding color to your diet.

    1. It is scary that it happened unexpectedly. Yes I agree about having a colorful plate of food for meals!

  2. With my eating I’d really like to start eating more green veggies.

  3. Yes, I wore red…for my workout and for my work day 🙂 We all need to be more aware of the little things we can do to impact our health and wellness, it all starts with self love.

  4. I’m so glad that we have this day to draw attention to heart health ❤️ I also love that even the tiniest of changes make a huge difference.

  5. Small changes can make a huge difference in heart health. Thanks for the reminder today

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